Fund raising update.

Since we have been back the money has been coming in. We have now raised £1723 plus £359.05 in gift aid, giving us a total so far of £2082.05!

We would like to thank Amanda Henocq, Ann De-Ste-Croix, Denis and Pauline Bodger, Roger Matthews, Margaret Quinell, David Apps, David Howells (again), Ken Guy, Ray and Myra Taylor, Glen, Ria and Owen Kreffer, Maggie Bullard, Pauline Francis, Carol Lewis, Ann-Marie Bishton, Lin Winter, Justine Gray, Samantha Janaway, Pinky and Dal Rai, Samantha Goodall, Rosemary Goodall, Pam and Terry Robbins, Roger Price, Sandra Price, David Norris, Chris Brown and Angie and Paul Joel.

If you would like to make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Pictures from the Oakeley Arms

The fantastic Oakeley Arms Hotel, in Tan Y Bwlch.  http://www.oakeleyarms.co.uk/  The hotel where we recovered before the drive back home.  Fantastic staff, fantastic beer and the food was out of this world! We even attempted to learn Welsh! "Diolch yn fawr iawn"

Su and Elaine 'Beer Monsters!'

Final team photo at the Oakeley Arms Hotel.

Back row L-R Elaine, Andy, Chris (Hotel owner) and Robin.

Front row L-R Carlton, Su, Graham and Mark.



Pictures from Snowdon

Fantastic view from the summit.

We've made it!

Exhausted but elated. L-R  Andy, Su, Graham and Mark, wearing our 'Daniel Findlay Appeal' T-Shirts kindly supplied by Coast 2 Coast  http://www.boat-transport.org/



Picture from Scafell Pike

Possibly the coldest and wettest people in the UK!

L-R Su, Graham, Mark and Andy

Pictures from Ben Nevis

Plodding through the snow.

At the Summit

 L-R Graham, Andy, Su and Mark

Picture of the team

Back Row from left:  Robin Furniss, Elaine Snow, Su Whitlock, Mark Wittcomb, Carlton Kerr.
Front Row from left: Graham Howlett, Andy Earl.

Homeward Bound!

Well, it’s 09:40 and we're on our way back home.  We had a great evening at The Oakeley Arms, Tan Y Bwlch, Gwynedd where the owner, 'Big Chris', and his staff really made us welcome. Once we had been shown to our rooms it was time for a nice hot shower and some dry clothes.  We all met later in the bar for a few well deserved drinks and a fantastic meal. Then, it was straight to bed.  I was asleep before my head hit the pillow! Following a shower and a cup of tea, we met for a full cooked breakfast with plenty of toast, cereal, tea, coffee and fruit juice.

If you are ever in Wales, we certainly would recommend The Oakeley Arms for its friendly atmosphere and fantastic food.  (Try the curry!). http://www.oakeleyarms.co.uk/index.htm

Snowdon

We arrived at Snowdon at 13:00, giving us only one and a quarter hours to get to the summit if we were to finish within the 24 hours, which was an impossible task.  We still wanted to set as best a time as possible so we left for the Pyg Track straight away.  The weather was kinder to us this time however, after about an hour, the wind picked-up but the visibility was good and the views were fantastic.  The going got a lot tougher when the Pyg Track met the Miners Track.  Eventually, we reached the summit at 15:23 giving us a total time for the Three Peaks of 25 hours and 7 minutes.

We went into the restaurant and Mark treated us to a hot chocolate.  We had a quick photo wearing our ‘Daniel Findlay Appeal’ T-Shirts and holding the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service flag that Mark had carried up.  

We are now sat in the Oakley Arms Hotel with a well-deserved beer, waiting for the girls to arrive so we can order some food!   I must admit that I'm a little disappointed that we didn't finish within the 24 hours.  However, considering the weather was against us and we started Scaffell Pike in the dark, I think we did pretty well to finish in 25:07!

Scafell Pike

We left Ben Nevis and made good time until we got to Glasgow. The motorway was shut meaning that we had to take a detour through the city centre.  Carlton did a fantastic job as our driver and we arrived at Wasdale at 02:05 and were off onto Scafell at 02:15. The weather conditions were appalling, worse than we experienced at Ben Nevis!  It was raining when we got out of the minibus and it didn't stop.  This was a particularly difficult climb, as expected.  Having started early at Ben Nevis this meant we would be climbing Scafell Pike in the dark!  This was the first problem; it was too dark to see the route clearly even with head torches so the map and compass proved difficult. The GPS was struggling to get a signal and was only accurate to 100 ft.  We met with a team from Wiltshire and decided that there is safety in numbers and, between us all, managed to make slow progress towards the summit in the dark.  By the time it started to get light the weather ensured that things didn't get any easier.  Non-stop rain coming in at us horizontally managed to eventually make its way through our waterproofs and soaked us to the skin.  The water coming off the mountain had flooded some of the route and, at times, we had to walk through water that went over our boots but, hey, we couldn't get any wetter could we?! Towards the top there were times when we were scrambling on all fours as the wind was so strong.  Eventually, after three hours exactly, we made the summit.  One quick photo to prove we made it and we were on our way back down.  I have found coming back down the mountains more painful than going up.  You can really feel your legs burning.  Eventually at 07:40 we were back at the minibus.  Our fantastic support team sorted out some bacon and baked beans for us along with a hot cup of tea.  We got changed into our dry clothes and were back on the road by 08:10, surrounded by soaking wet kit.  We are all hoping that our kit will be dry by the time we get to Snowdon otherwise we'll just have to climb in wet kit.  It’s now looking unlikely that we will complete the challenge within the 24 hours but, to complete all three mountains in these weather conditions, is an achievement regardless of how long it takes!

Ben Nevis

19:58

We are back down safely!

What a journey, hard work but enjoyable on the way up.  Showers on the way up until we got to 3200 ft and very windy along Five Finger Gully. Then it was time for a hail storm!  At about 3900 ft there was plenty of snow underfoot, stray off course by more than 10ft and the snow was knee deep.  We were still experiencing the hail with the wind pushing it horizontally and visibility down to about 20 ft. Our drinks had frozen and, if you stopped climbing for more than a few seconds, you really felt the cold.  At 4402 ft, we stopped for a picture at the war memorial and decided to get going with the descent. The weather really closed in then and visibility was down to about 15 ft. We had to follow the cairns to enable us to keep on the path. The hail now felt like having gravel thrown in your face, our drinks and chocolate bars had frozen.  Once we had descended about 100 ft conditions improved a little and, before long, we were off of the snow and back onto the rocks and gravel. We made our way down through scattered showers and, as we were on the Zig Zags, we were rewarded with a magnificent rainbow.  We arrived back at the minibus at 19:58 where Elaine, Robin and Carlton had a nice hot cup of tea waiting for us.  We are now back in the bus and on our way to Scafell Pike with an ETA of 02:00. Unfortunately, that means we will start our climb of Scafell in the dark but we are all agreed it was better to air on the side of safety and start Ben Nevis earlier than planned.

We were delighted to find out that another £80 had been donated to the fund while we were on the mountain!

D-Day

17.22

We are at the summit of Ben Nevis!

D-Day

14:15

Arrived at the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre with a view to grabbing a little sleep in the minibus before setting off at about 16:00.  While in the Centre, we checked the weather and had a chat with the Centre co-ordinator.  The weather on the summit was blizzard conditions, 40mph winds, gusting 60mph, with a wind chill temperature of -17! She advised us that if we really wanted to attempt the climb we should leave straight away as the conditions were expected to worsen! It's now 14:15 and we are off! Wish us luck!

D-Day

06:40

We arrived at Glencoe at 22:10 last night and were presently surprised at how nice the Youth Hostel looked.  After hanging around in the reception for ten minutes the Manager arrived. Unfortunately, he couldn't find our booking! It transpired that we were at the wrong place and our hostel was another mile down the road! The hostel is basic but clean and welcoming.  I spent most of the night awake listening to the rain and the current world snoring champion who was in our dorm!

I have been talking to a team from London who are also attempting the peaks.  They have the same concerns as us, the weather conditions and a minibus restricted to 62 mph may hamper our chances of completing the challenge within 24 hours.

Everyone is now up and out of bed, time for a shower and a cup of tea then up to Fort William for breakfast.

It's stopped raining now, let's hope it stays that way!

D-Day 1

We left HFRS HQ at 08:30 having loaded the minibus. Unfortunately, a problem with one of the minibus windows forced an early pit stop at Alton Fire Station!  Having fixed the window, we were on our way. After two stops en route for coffee and diesel it was gone 20:30 and we were still 50 miles from Glencoe and starving hungry. We eventually stopped off at 'God's Chip Shop' on the banks of Loch Lomond for a fish supper, and very nice it was too.  It’s been raining ever since we crossed the border into Scotland but even through the mist and rain Scotland is a beautiful part of the world.

We are now only about 16 miles from Glencoe and looking forward to a good night’s sleep!

Let’s hope the weather improves tomorrow.

D-Day -2

Yet another fantastic day with friends and family showing their generosity. Today we received another £145 in donations taking our figure up to £1263 + 234.95 in gift aid.  This gives us a total so far of £1498.95!
We would like to thank Warren and Jack, Tim Hammell, Helen Jones, Ami Sidhu, Paul Coates and Tessa Lock.  Unfortunately Steve is no longer able to join us so we now have four climbers and three supporters.  The bags are packed, the mini bus topped up with fuel and all our provisions packed.  We meet at HFRS HQ tomorrow at 08:30 and then we start our journey to Glencoe.

Update. D-Day -3

Well we have had another very good day with the fund raising increasing our figure to £1108 plus another 219.44 with the gift aid. We would like to thank John and Maureen, Tina Carvley and Eric Barker.  I'm confident that we will be able to pass the £1500 mark when we have collected in all the other pledges.  We are set to leave Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters at 08:00 on Friday and travel up to Glencoe.  We will start the assent of Ben Nevis mid afternoon on Saturday.

I will attempt to update this blog while we are away so stay tuned to check on our progress.

Update

Wow! What a fantastic few days we have had with regards to fund raising.  Our friends have shown their generosity once again with some very kind donations to the Daniel Findlay Appeal.  We would like to say thank you to Ellen and Stewart Roughley, Bob Bendall, Christine and Michael Howard, Rich and Lisa Tasker, Mark Leonard, Tash Oakes, Vicky Smith and Sharon Cross.

We would also like to say a big thank you to Kim and Russell Mitchell of Coast 2 Coast http://www.boat-transport.org/ who have made a very generous donation of £300 pounds.  They have even provided us with polo shirts, as modleled by James below.

We have now raised £1038, plus £199.69 in gift aid, giving us a total of £1237.69!

We leave for Glencoe on Friday morning, I will try to update this blog at regular intervals while we are away so that you can all follow our progress.

To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Update

Things have been a bit hectic lately for us in the FI department so I apologise for not completing this update sooner.

We did have a bit of a scare last week as Steve Quinn and Mark Wittcomb looked as if they might have to withdraw from the challenge due to operational commitments!  Seeing as Steve is the only one that can read a map (well, that's what he  tells us!) we looked into alternative dates so that we could keep the team together.  After much hard work by Su and Elaine they managed to get the accommodation and mini bus re-booked and we will now be attempting the challenge on the 27,28 and 29 of May.  The only down side to this is that we will now be attempting the challenge over a bank Holiday weekend and any time spent sitting in a traffic jam may jeopardise our chance of completing the challenge within 24 hours.  On the plus side Steve and Mark have promised to treat us all to a slap up meal at the Oakley Arms Hotel after we complete the climbs! 

Shane Blampied has had to withdraw from the support team due to medical reasons and Carlton Kerr has kindley volenteered to step into his shoes.

Its been a bit quiet on the donation side of things with nothing to report for almost two weeks, then in the space of three days we recieved £65 worth of donations.  A big thank you to Pat Jones, Ann and Peter Godwin, Alfie Say, Gavin Cowan and Clive Gregory.

This takes the funds raised up to £638 plus £171.49 in gift aid making a total of £809.49!  With the sponsor forms that are out and about and further promises of donations we are confident that we can exceed £1000.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

Following week seven of our fund raising we have now raised £573.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £158.80 making a total of £731.80!

We would like to say a big thank you to Dave and Mary Knight, Amanda Hayman, Angela Ali, Kev Robson, Arthur, Mark Wittcomb, Jo and Ben Harrild, Phil and Terri Turner, Simon Row, Bobby Kerr, Steve Lacy, Nancy Collett, Dave Lock, Ann Masters, Keith & Audrey Adlam, Steve Trevethick, Crisp & Eric Lacy, David Howells, Chantelle Archer, Cathy Richards, Mr anonymous, Nan Reay, Terry Fitzjohn, Judy Rice, David Wright, Kirsten Fairall, Terry Davies, Jason Barnes, James Carpenter, Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

Following week six of our fund raising we have now raised £538.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £148.92 making a total of £686.92!

This week Su and Mark have been busy gaining on line donations and the whole team have been securing sponsorship on the old style forms for those that would like to donate but don't want to use the Internet. We now have sponsor forms at Portchester Community School, Wicor Primary School several local shops and all the fire stations within Hampshire. While out training last week I bumped into my neighbour Arthur and explained what we are doing.  Later the next day Arthur knocked on my door with a generous donation.  Thank Arthur!

We would like to say a big thank you to Kev Robson, Arthur, Mark Wittcomb, Jo and Ben Harrild, Phil and Terri Turner, Simon Row, Bobby Kerr, Steve Lacy, Nancy Collett, Dave Lock, Ann Masters, Keith & Audrey Adlam, Steve Trevethick, Crisp & Eric Lacy, David Howells, Chantelle Archer, Cathy Richards, Mr anonymous, Nan Reay, Terry Fitzjohn, Judy Rice, David Wright, Kirsten Fairall, Terry Davies, Jason Barnes, James Carpenter, Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

 

Following week five of fund raising we have now raised £448.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £123.54 making a total of £571.54!

This week 12 year old Bobby Kerr walked into student reception at Portchester Community School and handed in his pocket money for the Daniel Findlay Appeal. That was a very generous gesture Bobby, so thank you.

We would like to say a big thank you to Bobby Kerr, Steve Lacy, Nancy Collett, Dave Lock, Ann Masters, Keith & Audrey Adlam, Steve Trevethick, Crisp & Eric Lacy, David Howells, Chantelle Archer, Cathy Richards, Mr anonymous, Nan Reay, Terry Fitzjohn, Judy Rice, David Wright, Kirsten Fairall, Terry Davies, Jason Barnes, James Carpenter, Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

Following week four of fund raising we have now raised £443.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £122.13 making a total of £565.13!

We would like to say a big thank you to Steve Lacy, Nancy Collett, Dave Lock, Ann Masters, Keith & Audrey Adlam, Steve Trevethick, Crisp & Eric Lacy, David Howells, Chantelle Archer, Cathy Richards, Mr anonymous, Nan Reay, Terry Fitzjohn, Judy Rice, David Wright, Kirsten Fairall, Terry Davies, Jason Barnes, James Carpenter, Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

Training is on going as are the diets. Grahams wife has taken to dropping him off miles from home and making him run back!  Su is in the gym before work and at lunch times and I've been spending most of my spare time walking.  Quinny has even given up the beer!

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

Following our third week of fund raising we've raised £303.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £85.46 making a total of £388.46.

We would like to say a big thank you to Terry Fitzjohn, Judy Rice, David Wright, Kirsten Fairall, Terry Davies, Jason Barnes, James Carpenter, Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

We will now be joined on the climbs by Mark Wittcomb completing our team establishment to five climbers and three in the support team.

Su has managed to borrow a Minibus from our training department which is a great weight of our minds and we have started to put out some sponsor forms or those that don't want to use the Justgiving site.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

 

Following our second week of fund raising we've raised £173.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £48.79 making a total of £221.79

We would like to say a big thank you to Paul Riddell, Andy and Julie Cottrell, Gary Jackson, The BIG Cheese, Ken Guy, Ben Holt, Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Teem Meeting

Yesterday we had a teem meeting where James Street came to brief us.  James, a firefighter and Service fitness adviser also volunteers for the Mountain Rescue.  We discussed what to take in individual and team ruck sacks, first aid, nutrition, what to wear, navigation and driving. James is a former Royal Marine and Steve is a former Para so the banter was spirited.


We've hit a problem in that Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service doesn’t have a mini bus available for us to use. This coming week we'll be contacting local hire firms to see if they can help us out.

To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Thanks Andy!

I bumped into Andy Cottrell at Alton Fire Station today and he thrust a £10 note into my hand for the Daniel Findlay Appeal.  Thanks for your kind donation Andy.

So come on White Watch Copnor, who can match Andy's generosity?

To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Weekly fund raising update.

We've had our just giving page for a week now and so far we've raised £118.00!  With gift aid giving us a further £33.28 making a total of £151.28

We would like to say a big thank you to Paul Mitchell, Ben and Lindsey Smith, Phil Southcott, Jane Tatner, Tim Leonard, Bob and Paula Owen, Jayne Croll, Claire Futter, Claire Froy and Joanne Wilson.

If you would like to make a donation click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

Meeting Dan

Yesterday we attended Portchester Community School where Daniel and his Mum were presented with a cheque for over £2500 towards the appeal.  Students and staff had raised the money by holding BBQ's, a cake sale and a charity football match which saw school staff take on AFC Portchester.

Su and Graham met Dan and his Mum for the first time and Dan was introduced to 'Saxon' our Fire Investigation Search Dog.

A reporter and photographer from the local press attended so keep an eye out for Dan in the Portsmouth News!

To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks

What are we doing and why?

Su Whitlock, Steve Quinn, Graham Howlett and Andy Earl will attempt to climb the three highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales.  The challenge involves scaling Ben Nevis (4409 ft), Scafell Pike (3209 ft) and Snowdon (3560 ft),  all within 24 hours!  Our Support Team (Elaine Snow, Robin Furniss and Shane Blampied) will be driving us almost 500 miles between the mountains.

We are taking on this challenge to raise funds for the Daniel Findlay Appeal. 

Daniel and his family are raising money to pay for a pioneering Cerebral Palsy treatment only available in the US which could potentially enable him to walk independently for the first time.

Without this operation, the future for Daniel looks bleak, with a multitude of operations and botox injections expected to try and ease the rigidity of his muscles to try and make him more comfortable.

To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Findlay-Three-Peaks